Antoine Walker Turns To Former Coach Rick Pitino During Tough Times

One of the most unfathomable stories as of late has been the case of ex-NBA player Antoine Walker, who recently filed for bankruptcy after his liabilities reached an astounding $12.7 million compared to his $4.2 million worth of assets.

As you know, the gambling was one of the undertones this year in the basketball world (once again I will say “No Arenas” and “No Donaghy”), and can you guess where some of ‘Toine’s liabilities come from? If you guessed Basketball Wives cast member Evelyn, you are partially right, but not what I was referring to. Of his $12.7 million in liabilities, a good portion of that is due to gambling debt, when just over a year ago he agreed to pay back around $1 million to three Las Vegas casinos he owed money to.

Out of his total liabilities, $770,000 is owed to Harrah’s and $500,000 to Ameristar Casino in East Chicago, Indiana. Sports agent Mark Bartelstein is also owed a further $458,000. Commenting on the gamblers waning fortunes, Gaming Analyst Brad Dawkins said

What has my jaw on the floor is the fact that he is in this position and throughout the course of his career Antoine Walker banked more than $110 million….2 words PERSONAL ACCOUNTANT. It has also been reported that during the high point of Toine’s career, he was quite the unnecessary spender

At the peak of his career, Antoine Walker would spend around $78,000 per month on general living expenses and looking after his extended family, but his flamboyant lifestyle saw him occasionally playing cards with Michael Jordan at around $15,000 per hands, or gambling on high-stakes blackjack at the Mohegan Sun.

Walker also admitted in court that at the moment he has no source of income…Huh? You telling me that you’re not getting no money when “former fiancé of Antoine Walker” is pasted at the bottom of the screen every time Evelyn opens her mouth on Basketball Wives? SMH… You need to step your pimpin’ up, Pimpin’…someone get Toine Bishop Don Magic Juan’s Twitter, ASAP.

It also has been reported that Walker is looking to make a NBA comeback with the help of his friend and old coach Rick Pitino, which would help him attempt to put a dent in the debt he has incurred. Walker was spotted working out at the University of Louisville this week, where Pitino now coaches, which can somewhat validate the rumors of him planning a return.

Walker has “got two or three good years left if he gets in the shape I want him to be in, which he hasn’t been in a long time,” Pitino told the paper. “I’m talking about college shape. He can do it, though, because when your back’s up to the wall, the cream rises, and he’s cream.”

Walker apparently has a long way to go – he was hunched over only minutes into his workout with Pitino, the paper reported.

“I know I want to play basketball, so I know I’m going to apply myself,” Walker told the Courier-Journal. “I know I’ve got one shot.”

Now I do think that Antoine Walker could make a squad when back in shape, as he is only 33 and could get signed for the veteran’s minimum, which is currently more than $1.3 million — which is exactly $1.3 million more than what he is making right now. At this point, I refuse to feel bad for athletes who make a yacht-load of money and then lose it all; there’s no reason why any one human being can make over 100 mil and then owe money…unless you’re Hammer, of course.

Whatever happens to Toine, I wish him the best, and even if there isn’t any pot of gold at the end of his rainbow, when it’s all said and done and he is in his cardboard box eating old tuna, at least he will be able to say that he was smashing this at one point…enjoy.

Kris Moyo is one of BSO’s newest writers and comes from a long background of jive talking and pimp walking. You can follow Kris on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/IAMKRIS24

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